Pacquiao, Marquez hope to remove all doubts tonight

LAS VEGAS — In the city that never sleeps, Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez will try to put to rest Saturday evening lingering doubt about who is the superior man in the ring.

The welterweights collide for a fourth time in a scheduled 12-round non-title fight at the MGM Grand Arena (HBO pay-per-view, 9 p.m. ET). The card is promoted by Top Rank's Bob Arum, who also celebrates his 81st birthday.

A sellout crowd of more than 16,000 is expected to transform the arena into a colorful, wild scene of competing supporters from the Philippines and Mexico.

Pacquiao (54-4-2, 38 KOs) has never lost to the crafty Mexican counterpuncher. A draw and two slim decisions led to a fourth bout with Marquez (54-6-1, 39 KOs), considered the greatest fighter to emerge from his country since Julio Cesar Chavez.

"I don't like to compare myself to anyone,'' said Marquez, 39, who is less than a 2-1 underdog on the Las Vegas sportsbooks. "I think my career speaks for itself.''

His 33-year-old Filipino foil has the edge in the series but lacked sufficient aggressiveness in their last two encounters to clear-cut victories. Pacquiao knocked down Marquez three times in the first round of their initial battle in 2004.

"I've made a lot of changes in the strategies and in my style,'' said Pacquiao, who seeks to re-establish his dominance after recent lackluster performances.

The Nevada Athletic Commission also made a rare modification for the bout, conceding to appoint two of the three judges from outside its jurisdiction to score the main event. The reason: Pacquiao's camp was outraged when he lost his 147-pound title to Timothy Bradley in Las Vegas last June in a fight most ringside observers thought Pacquiao won handily.

Additional ringside sizzle will be provided by promoters 50 Cent and Nicole Polizzi, otherwise known as Snooki of MTV's Jersey Shore fame.

50 Cent, the renowned hip-hop star, represents Yuriorkis Gamboa, the undefeated featherweight (21-0, 16 KOs) from Miami. Gamboa will fight Michael Farenas (33-3-4, 25 KOs) of the Philippines.

Polizzi and her father, Andy Polizzi, operate Team Snooki Boxing. Their fighter, Irish featherweight Patrick Hyland (27-0, 12 KOs), will challenge unbeaten Javier Fortuna (20-0, 15 KOs) of the Dominican Republic.

USATODAY.com will provide live, round-by-round coverage of the fight, starting about 10 p.m. ET.